A New Adventure
by DT-3015
Summary: Aslan "Lan" Cornwallis has been abandoned on the island of Mossdeep City. Fortunately, he is found by none other than Steven Stone. With the help of an experienced trainer, Lan will go on an adventure that many others have taken part in. This is a story of how a trainer begins his journey without the assistance of the local professor, but instead a previous champion.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon. Everything in this story is written by myself with some assistance in correcting grammar and the sorts.

* * *

Steven Stone is on the rocky coasts of Mossdeep in search of stones. These aren't regular stones that one can injure someone with if thrown. The stones that he is looking for are evolutionary stones, the ones that help specific Pokémon reach a new stage of evolution. The man with silver hair looks up into the night sky with an almost perfect view of the Moon.

"It's getting late. Time to head home," he says to the beldum floating behind him.

The duo make their trip back to the stairs that leads them back to the city. They ascend the steps slowly to take in the view that only appears on winter nights. Beldum takes the lead as they climb the final step and continues ahead of Steven towards the direction of his home. The sound of running from a pair of footsteps catches his attention as the calm night goes on in silence. With a sense of curiosity he makes a detour to where he believes the sound came from. Steven notices that the path he is on leads him to the Space Center.

"C'mon Beldum," he turns to his partner. "Let's check it out," he points in the general direction of the giant center.

Steven, now in the lead, walks faster than usual as the sound of someone running gets louder. The noise escalates until he hears the footsteps as if they were next to him, but there is no one in sight. Now at a run, he goes to the collection of trees to see if someone is running on the other side, but still, no one. A sense of panic begins to rise in his chest as he runs to the Space Center. He starts ascending the large set of stairs skipping a few with every step. A few more steps and he reaches the top. . Steven finally sees two figures, presumably the ones who made the sounds earlier, covered by the shadow cast by the clouds blocking the moonlight. A slight gasp sounds from the figure on the right, a woman from what he can tell.

"What are you two doing?" Steven questions them before slowly walking towards them.

The person on the left quickly grabs the woman next to him and runs towards the cliffs. Before he can even react, the figure throws a pokeball into the sky and releases a walrein into the ocean below them.

"Use Ice Beam!" the figure says with a rough voice.

The man's walrein releases a beam of ice directed at the cliff then cascades down towards the ocean creating a makeshift slide. The pair lock hands as they run towards the wall of ice. Steven begins his chase, but it is too late. They jump onto the ice and make their way down to the ocean where their Pokémon awaits. The two climb into a wooden boat that must have been previously set before their arrival on the island.

Steven runs to the edge of the cliff. "Why are you running?" He screams his question into the night.

Without receiving so much as a response, he turns around looking in the direction from where they ran from. His beldum is near the entrance to the Space Center where it is currently hovering around what looks to be a basket of some sort. There is no point in running seeing as how those people left, and it is eleven at night. A few steps in Beldum's direction, he can clearly see that it is, in fact, a basket. His pace slows down as he nears the object. He squats down to inspect the ordinary looking basket when he hears movement from inside.

Once again curiosity catches his interest and he quickly removes the lid to find a small child. A boy or maybe a girl. He can't really tell without some form of lighting. It finally clicks in his head that the two figures that just escaped are this child's parents, and they just abandoned their child at maybe one of the best places to do the worst thing possible. After gathering the basket into his arms, he makes his trek back to his original destination—home.

Steven's house is stationed on one of the cliffs that overlook the ocean in the direction of Lilycove City. Being quite famous, Steven's home is two stories high, a basement, and a backyard being the Shoal Cave. Inside his house, the bottom floor consists of a spacious living room filled with collections of rocks from over the Pokémon world and one stone, or actually a meteorite, from space. His collection is something he is very proud of along with being the former champion of the Hoenn League. In a few years, he will begin is journey in search of a new stones that have surfaced in the Kalos region. Inside the living room are three doors, one positioned opposite of the entrance leading to the kitchen, and two on the left side with the closer one being a bathroom and the farther one being a closet.

The basement has been converted into his own personal study. Steven believes that being one with rocks helps with understanding their nature. Inside the study is a large oak desk with a new laptop sitting on its center. Flanking the laptop are large stacks of paper with research on the currently known evolutionary stones. Behind the desk is a large chair that is state of the art on the level of comfort and is customized to match is love of stones. On the wall opposite to the desk is a large screen that is often used for meetings or talks with Professor Birch. Alongside all the walls of the den are shelves that carry books detailing the founding of evolutionary stones, reports from researchers from abroad, and studies of Pokémon belong to the ground, rock, and steel type.

The second floor is where all the living quarters are. After ascending the steel set of stairs is a lounge where one can just sit on with two couches that sit a few meters apart. Between the couches is a coffee table made of sycamore. All of these sit atop of a large rug with a portrait of Mount Silver and the Tohjo Falls. Past the lounge area is a large hall with a single door on the left, two doors on the right, and a single door at the end of the hall.

The door on the left is his room with a king sized bed covered in grey and blue sheets similar to the color of beldum. His rock collection continues from his living room with one of every type of evolutionary stone. A small library sits at the wall adjacent to the window that looks out to the cave. On the opposite side of his room are two guest rooms that decorated the same with a bed and red sheets. A desk sits against the wall with the window looking out towards the town. A TV hangs from the corner of the room and a small library of magazines that would entertain a reader for a short amount of time.

Steven arrives at the entrance of his house and slowly inserts his key into the door while carefully balancing the basket in one arm. The sound of the door unlocking brings relief to him. After once again balancing the basket in one arm, he removes the key and places it back into his pocket. Carefully taking off his shoes, he places them by the entrance and then ascends the steel staircase to enter one of the guest rooms.

Slowly placing the basket onto the bed he pushes aside the sheets and makes room for the arrival of small boy with black hair and a patch of blonde near the crown of his head. With great care, he manages to lift the child out of the basket and lay him down on the bed. Now going back to the box, Steven finds a pokeball and a letter that has been folded into three. First, he grabs the pokeball and places it on the nightstand sitting next to the bed. Then, he grabs the letter and unfolds it. In it he finds a letter from his parents that just escaped the island.

Inside the letter reads, "_This is the only way we could have continued living, the costs of taking care of our child and ourselves is too much. Poverty has broken this family apart and abandoning our child is the last thing we would do. Please take care of him and treat him as if he is your own. We are sorry and we will forever be in debt to you. The child's name is Aslan Cornwallis and he is now yours." _


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon. Everything is written by me with some assistance on grammar and such.

Please PM me if something confuses you or you notice an error. I am human and I do not have a degree in Literature so please do not expect perfection.

* * *

January 17, 2015

The message runs through Steven's head one last time before he closes his right hand around the letter. Slowly, he grabs the Pokéball and exits the room leaving the door ajar. He walks as quietly as possible down the steel staircase and into the living room. Steven then goes to the couch and touches his thumb against the pokéball's center to enlarge it.

"Beldum, don't scare this Pokémon when it gets out, okay?" He asks the steel/psychic-type Pokémon.

With the Pokéball in hand, he throws it into the air, waiting for the ball to release the being held inside. The ball opens from the center and releases a flash of white light. It collects on the ground in a ball before quickly fading out. In the same place now stands a Pokémon that he immediately recognizes. After catching the returning Pokéball, Steven makes his way over to the Pokémon and squats down. He comes face to face with a blue furred seal that has a cream colored stomach with two little flippers. He slowly reaches into his back pocket with his left hand to retrieve his Pokédex.

"Pokédex, scan this Spheal pleas," he says sternly. The Pokédex beeps indicating that it is beginning its search.

Steven carefully sits down and crosses his leg. Casually, he places his hands to the sides of Spheal. Already knowing its behavior, he rolls the ball Pokémon between his hands. The gentle purr lets Steven know it is enjoying the little game.

"The Clap Pokémon," the Pokédex begins announcing its findings. "Spheal always travel by rolling around on its ball-like body. When the season for ice floes arrives, this Pokémon can be seen rolling about on ice and crossing the sea. This Spheal is of the female gender and currently knows the attacks Powder Snow, Growl, and Water Gun."

Steven stops their little game and gently lifts the Pokémon to eye level. "Okay Spheal listen up," the Spheal immediately stops its wiggling, "your trainer is still young okay? So no playing with your attacks until he grows up. And you will have to wait until tomorrow before you get to meet him."

The ball opens her mouth and lets out a flurry of snow, Powder Snow to be exact, in Steven's face. With a quiet yelp of surprise, he places the Pokémon down and gets up to wipe his face. Spheal rolls away towards the closet door. He returns back to the living room to see Spheal blowing snow into the closet thoroughly freezing all of his coats.

"C'mon Spheal, it's time for bed," Steven says as he lifts the Pokémon into his arm.

Once again, he makes the trip back up the stairs only this time he has a spheal in his arms. Steven walks down the hall and enters the door on the left. He grabs the Pokéball and aims at Spheal to return her. A red light beams out of the ball and quickly returns the Pokémon to its original place. After placing the ball down on the nightstand near the bed, he goes into his closet in order to get ready to sleep.

Steven lays in bed thinking about what the future may hold. Will this child grow like every other one? How will he break the news to him that his parents are gone and all they left is an energetic Spheal? These questions haunt his dreams throughout the night.

* * *

Steven wakes up at four in the morning to the sound of a child screaming and crying. He quickly opens the door and runs to the other side of the hall. Placing his hand on the door knob, he turns it and heaves the door open. Inside he finds Aslan awake, crying and reaching his little hands out in search of some parental warmth. Sadly, there are no parents in sight to help this child. They have crossed the sea in the direction of Lilycove City, probably nearing the very city itself as of now.

Steven slowly makes his way towards the bed, hesitating about what he should do. Lay down next to the child? Comfort him from afar? He can't think properly with Aslan's screams. Steven's hands run a path from his forehead to the crown of his head and then slamming down against his legs. Where is the answer? How can he help? One of Aslan's flailing arms swipe across the nightstand, knocking down a small alarm clock. He sees the object roll on the floor for a few seconds. Then a thought crosses his mind. . . Spheal. Maybe she can help.

Steven quickly makes his way back to his room in search for the Pokéball that holds the answer. He spots it on the nightstand where he had left it and makes a grab for it. With the cold Pokéball in hand, he returns to Aslan's room.

"Please let this work," Steven prays to whatever being that can help. "Spheal, come on out!" The ball is tossed once again into the air, releasing a familiar beam of light.

The Spheal makes a squeak of appreciation before turning towards the now weeping child. Slowly, she rolls her way into Aslan's arms. Aslan seems to feel the Pokémon as his hands reach around to hold her. The Pokémon wiggles a bit to find a more comfortable place in who she assumes is her trainer. Aslan's cries soften to a whimper, and he holds Spheal closer to his body.

A sigh of relief leaves Steven's lips as he backs into the wall and slides his way down to a sitting position. The quiet night resumes its place. He checks the fallen alarm clock that reads 4:23 AM. Another sigh and he begins the struggle of getting back up. He looks at the pair who are now fast asleep. Spheal snoring happily against a new face. Aslan on the other hand, has a flushed face from crying.

"Aslan is getting a bit too much for me to be saying. How about 'Lan'? Yeah, that sounds better. Okay Lan, I guess you're my responsibility now." Steven whispers to Lan.

He silently exits and closes the door. Who knew acting like a parent was tough? Being an actual parent must be even harder. Knowing he won't be able to get some sleep, he continues down the hall into the lounge area and takes a seat. In a few hours, Lan should be awake. In a few hours, Lan would start asking questions. In a few hours, Lan will scream and shout at the poor Spheal who came to his rescue just thirty minutes ago.

Steven releases another sigh. Sighing is all he's been doing lately. Barely the age of 20 and he is already acting as a parent. A final sigh leaves his mouth. With nothing more to do, he decides on making coffee for himself.

Hours pass and he finally hears the sound of movement in the guest room. The first challenge of the day begins now. He makes his way out of the kitchen leaving behind an empty mug on the counter near the sink. Steven hears the faint sound of a boy talking to someone.

"Aslan, are you awake?" He asks quickly hoping for a response.

". . . Hello," the boy responds in a soft voice.

Steven hears the boy shifting on the bed most likely attempting to get to the ground safely. He continues down the hall and enters the room on the right. He can't help but let out a chuckle from seeing Spheal trying to catch the boy as he slowly moves his legs off the bed.

"Hold on Aslan, I'll get you," he moves past the doorway and carefully places the child on the floor. "You could have asked for help if you knew I was awake."

Aslan nods in understanding.

"And Aslan, do you mind if I just start calling you by Lan from now on?" he inquires the young boy.

The newly nicknamed Lan lifts his head and gives a brief nod. Okay, so that covers two out of the endless list of things to do today. He lowers his hand towards Lan as a gesture for him to grab. Lan manages to hold onto two fingers as his hands have yet to develop. They both take the silence as approval to continue on with their lives.

Before Steven can lead them anywhere, Lan grabs a hold of Spheal and tugs on Steven's hand to let him know that they can start going now. Steven nods and walks down the hall towards the stair case. With permission, he takes Lan, along with his Pokémon, into his arms and descends the stairs a step at a time. He slowly places the pair down on the ground.

"Hey mister, what's your name? Who is this ball? Is it mine? Can I have it?" It is one question after another from Lan and Steven is beginning to feel overwhelmed.

"Hold on there, let's go sit down first," He motions towards the couch with his head.

They take a seat on opposite ends of the couch. Lan with his legs crossed on the couch with Spheal sitting on his legs. Steven is leaned back against the arm of the couch and has a leg propped up against the knee of the other.

"Okay Lan," Steven begins, "My name is Steven Stone. That ball you have next to you is a Pokémon named Spheal and you can keep her because she was left to you by your Mom and Dad." He ends his answer but, he immediately regrets it as soon as he sees the look of confusion start to set in Lan's face.

Before he can clarify, Lan opens his mouth, "Where are they?"

Steven already had planned on telling him in the future, he just hoped it wouldn't be the next day.

"Lan, your parents left. They aren't," he pauses, "they aren't here anymore."

With the truth finally out, Steven lets out yet another sigh. Lan stares at Steven in the eyes before his lips begin to pout. Steven stands up quickly hoping to stop Lan before he makes another commotion. He walks over to Lan's side of the couch and takes another seat.

"Listen, Lan," he attempts to smooth over the situation, "they're alright, okay? They just ran into a few problems and had to leave you with me. Everything's going to be okay, alright?" He comforts the child, hoping that it will placate Lan's worries.

Lan brings his head down and looks at Spheal. She had turned in her spot to face Lan. Noticing the change in his face, she uses Powder Snow and lets out a flurry of snow aim toward the child's face. Steven worries skyrocket, only to settle down when he hears a hearty giggle coming from Lan.

Steven closes his eyes in relief and leans back against the cushion. Yet again, Lan's Spheal has come to the rescue. A loud rumble erupts between the two, causing a silence. Lan begins to laugh at the sound his stomach made.

"Steven, can I have some food now?"

Steven doesn't respond. He just gets up and walks towards the kitchen trying to think of something to cook for an intelligent boy who is only four years old. He opens the fridge and crouches down to get a better look inside. He quickly scans its contents in search of something edible. Milk. Yogurt. Fruit. Vegies. Apple sauce.

"Pick, apple sauce or yogurt with fruit," He turns and looks at Lan.

Lan scrunches his face and begins to think of which sounds more appealing at the moment. He turns to look at Spheal.

"Spheal, what do you think?" He asks softly. The Spheal hops once. "Steven, can I have some apple sauce please?"

Steven nods and turns back to reach for the jar. After closing the fridge, he side steps to reach into the cabinets above for a bowl. Next, he turns around to grab a spoon from the drawer and serves Lan a small helping of the puréed fruit.

Lan and Spheal make their way into the kitchen and sit at the table. Once seated, Lan reaches down for Spheal and moves her onto his lap. It is obvious that he will go nowhere without her. With a spoon in hand, Lan takes of spoonful of apple sauce and begins to eat.

The day, in Steven's perspective, was stressful. In Lan's eyes, it was sad, happy, sadder, and then it was fun being with Spheal.

Steven lays in bed again at the end of the night, thinking of when he should tell Lan that he is going on a trip, away from Mossdeep City, to look for a new type of stone that has surfaced in the Kalos region, a land far from Hoenn. He won't be leaving for another eight years, but still, he has to tell him before the day comes.

* * *

A week later and Steven and Lan have a routine set;

At six, Steven wakes up and goes down the stairs to make coffee.

At eight, Lan wakes up with Spheal at his side and walks down the stairs one step at a time.

Breakfast begins at 8:30 AM even if Lan doesn't wake up.

At noon, the trio make their way to the coast and look for rocks, it's not like a child coming into his life will distract him from the love of his life.

Lunch begins at around two at the Café in the Space Center.

The group returns to the coast for another adventure after lunch. Only this time, it is for leisure.

The clock strikes 5:00 PM and the man with silver hair and the boy with a Spheal return home.

* * *

Stay tuned for the next chap.

I will be publishing new chapters for the next few days, but next week i will be updating on Wednesday and Sunday (hopefully).

- Tyson


	3. Chapter 3

Hi all, I know i said i would post daily for a few days, but i got lazy. It happens to the best of us.

Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon. This story is written by me with assistance on grammar and the such.

This chap includes two different time skips so if you need any clarification just PM me.

-Tyson

* * *

December 17, 2023

Today marks Lan's 12th birthday. It also marks the day that Steven Stone leaves on his trip to search Hoenn for stones similar to those found in Kalos. By noon, the center of Mossdeep City is decorated in colors of bright silver and dark blue. Streamers are hanging from trees and buildings; outlining banners reading "Good Luck Steven!" or "Happy Birthday Lan!" along with balloons of similar color. A grand feast is on display at many tables with all the fixing of a Christmas Dinner. The celebration and send-off begins at 12:14 AM.

Sitting at a table with images of Metagross and Walrein are Lan and Steven. Lan is dressed in a blue and white checkered button-up with khaki shorts and black Both are overcome by the onslaught of "Congratulations, make us proud!" or "Happy birthday! Are you ready for an adventure of a lifetime?" A line forms at the front of the table to honor the two. An elder couple reach the table after a few gentlemen and snobby rich kids.

"Happy Birthday Lan! Twelve years old is such a huge accomplishment. Back in my day, "the elderly woman begins, "when we turned ten, we took a boat to Petalburg and walked our way through Oldale Town and then to Littleroot Town to begin our journey. You're twelve already, why are you still here?"

Lan gives a slight bow to the elder couple and says thank you before they can walk away.

Before the city's psychic can walk up to the table, Lan quickly turns to Steven, "they all keep asking me why I'm not an adventure. Even those rich snobs started their journey. Tell me again why I can't go with you on yours," he says in a voice full of irritation.

"You can't come with me because it's too dangerous. I won't be able to protect you the whole time and I promised myself that I wouldn't let you get hurt," Steven says in response to the sudden outbreak.

Lan turns away from him with arms crossed. He hates how an adventure is out of the question even though he is older than the average person starting. Steven chuckles at Lan pouting in his chair and turns his attention back to the line of people. The psychic clad in a flowery dress instead of her usual purple gown finally reaches Lan and places a box with a lock on the table in front of Lan.

"Open this with snow," she says in a motherly fashion.

He accepts the gift and thanks her for coming to the celebration. Lan stands from where he is sitting. He moves his button-up to the side to reveal a single Pokéball on his belt. Carefully, he detaches the ball and taps the center to enlarge it. With a single toss, the Pokéball goes into the air and opens. A beam of light shoots out towards the ground and collects into a round figure. The light fades to reveal Lan's Spheal.

The Pokémon releases a small cry. She tilts back and forward creating momentum before she rolls toward her trainer. Spheal comes to a stop before Lan and uses her Powder Snow. Over the past eight years, Powder Snow has become a gesture of appreciation to Lan so instinctively he spins around. After he feels the small flurry come to a stop, he turns around and sits on the floor. Spheal can now clearly see the chest in Lan's hands. She tilts her body in confusion at the foreign object in her trainer's hands. The lock clinks against the chest from the sudden force.

"C'mon Spheal, stop that. You're gonna ruin my new shoes," he says between fits of laughter. "Let's go to the table with the other gifts."

Lan gets up and moves the chest onto one arm so he could dust himself off. He makes his way to the table where Steven is after he finishes cleaning himself. Spheal follows along in her usual fashion.

Steven quickly places a box in the middle of the pile of gifts for Lan as he notices him making his way down. Steven is dressed in a black coat with purple sleeves and a stripe going across his stomach. He is also wearing black fitted slacks with purple dress shoes.

"Lan, what a pleasant surprise seeing you here." He says in hopes of not being caught.

"Hold on Pops," Lan starts as he places the chest on the table, "what are you hiding?

"It's nothing. I have a gift for you, but you won't be getting it until you start your journey when you're older" Steven responds as he grabs a chair to sit on. "Sit down, I have something else to tell you."

Lan nods, but he is a little angry that Steven unintentionally just said that he still has to wait until he gets to leave Mossdeep. Lan finds an empty chair at the table with Farmers. He politely asks if he could take the chair before grabbing and placing it to the left of Steven. Lan plops down onto the chair, mentally preparing himself for what's to come.

"Your parents," Steven says rather solemnly, "they left something at the door before you woke up today and I. . ." His voice dies out trying to think of how to properly phrase the next part when Lan gets up and quickly runs off in the direction of the Space Center.

* * *

Oddly, Steven is feeling a sense of déjà vu as he runs along the same path he did eight years ago when he first found Lan. Steven sees Lan at the edge of the same cliff his parents slid down to escape the island. He quietly sends out a Skarmory into the sky.

"Skarmory," Steven whispers, "circle around and if you see him getting ready to jump, swoop down."

The steel bird flew into the sky. Steven begins walking towards Lan when he sees that Skarmory is perched on the edge of the Space Center. Lan still hasn't noticed Steven getting closer. Where is Spheal when you need her? She can always solve any of Lan's problems. Steven's foot cracks a twig on the floor from one of the bare trees. He freezes in place hoping the sound isn't loud enough to catch Lan's attention. The tree from which the twig fell from is close enough for him to hide behind, but it is too late. Lan sees Steven frozen in place.

Lan's face is flush from recently crying. He wipes away his tears with the sleeve of his top and looks up to make eye contact with Steven.

"Why Steven," he asks between sobs, "I could've gone on with just you as my parent."

Steven's face falls. There is only guilt in his stone blue eyes as he sees Lan drop to the ground. Steven walks up to Lan. He slowly drops down to a squat behind Lan and starts rubbing circles on his back. In just a matter of seconds, he let Lan get hurt. A promise broken.

"Sorry Lan. Just think, in four years I'll be taking you to Littleroot Town to register your own Pokédex so you can start your journey," he says praying that it calms him down. "You'll get to be on your own and start an adventure. Of course you'll be able to reach me on your PokéNav if you need help, but still, you'll be on your own."

Lan stops crying. His face lights up at the thought of going on an adventure. Maybe this is the answer to finally forgetting the parents he never had. Steven stands up, leaving Lan on the ground, and goes to the Space Center to return Skarmory back to his Pokéball. He helps Lan get back on his feet. With a hand on Lan's shoulder, he guides them back to the party.

* * *

April 28, 2027

Lan hears a knock at the door. For the past four years, Lan has been in the care of Tate and Liza, the leaders of the city's Gym, and is under their wing at the Gym's training facility.

Slowly, he maneuvers his way off the couch decked out in a dark gray shirt with an unbuttoned sapphire blue top and his favorite pair of khaki shorts. His black sneakers are by the door. Now at the age of sixteen, Lan is about 5'7 with light colored skin and copper brown eyes. He has short black hair with a blonde streak that is off center which used to be the blonde patch on the crown of his head.

He finally reaches the door after tying his shoes on and looks through the door's peephole. Lan sees silver hair. His eyes widen in shock. Lan reaches for the doorknob and throws it open.

"How's it going Lan?"

* * *

Reminders: Locked Chest. Parent's Gift. Return of the Man of Steel.


End file.
